Cold ablation driven by localized forces in alkali halides

TY - JOUR

T1 - Cold ablation driven by localized forces in alkali halides

AU - Hada, Masaki

AU - Zhang, Dongfang

AU - Pichugin, Kostyantyn

AU - Hirscht, Julian

AU - Kochman, Michał A.

AU - Hayes, Stuart A.

AU - Manz, Stephanie

AU - Gengler, Regis Y N

AU - Wann, Derek A.

AU - Seki, Toshio

AU - Moriena, Gustavo

AU - Morrison, Carole A.

AU - Matsuo, Jiro

AU - Sciaini, Germán

AU - Miller, R. J Dwayne

N1 - © 2014 Macmillan Publishers. This is an author-produced version of the published paper. Uploaded in accordance with the publisher’s self-archiving policy. Further copying may not be permitted; contact the publisher for details

PY - 2014/5/19

Y1 - 2014/5/19

N2 - Laser ablation has been widely used for a variety of applications. Since the mechanisms for ablation are strongly dependent on the photoexcitation level, so called cold material processing has relied on the use of high-peak-power laser fluences for which nonthermal processes become dominant; often reaching the universal threshold for plasma formation of ∼1 J cm-2 in most solids. Here we show single-shot time-resolved femtosecond electron diffraction, femtosecond optical reflectivity and ion detection experiments to study the evolution of the ablation process that follows femtosecond 400 nm laser excitation in crystalline sodium chloride, caesium iodide and potassium iodide. The phenomenon in this class of materials occurs well below the threshold for plasma formation and even below the melting point. The results reveal fast electronic and localized structural changes that lead to the ejection of particulates and the formation of micron-deep craters, reflecting the very nature of the strong repulsive forces at play.

AB - Laser ablation has been widely used for a variety of applications. Since the mechanisms for ablation are strongly dependent on the photoexcitation level, so called cold material processing has relied on the use of high-peak-power laser fluences for which nonthermal processes become dominant; often reaching the universal threshold for plasma formation of ∼1 J cm-2 in most solids. Here we show single-shot time-resolved femtosecond electron diffraction, femtosecond optical reflectivity and ion detection experiments to study the evolution of the ablation process that follows femtosecond 400 nm laser excitation in crystalline sodium chloride, caesium iodide and potassium iodide. The phenomenon in this class of materials occurs well below the threshold for plasma formation and even below the melting point. The results reveal fast electronic and localized structural changes that lead to the ejection of particulates and the formation of micron-deep craters, reflecting the very nature of the strong repulsive forces at play.

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84901006209&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1038/ncomms4863

DO - 10.1038/ncomms4863

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:84901006209

SN - 2041-1723

VL - 5

JO - Nature Communications

JF - Nature Communications

M1 - 3863

ER -